Welcome to David Mundy's nearly-daily blog. David is now retired after 37 years as a United Church minister and has kept a journal for more than 30 years. This blog is more public but contains his personal musings and reflections on the world, through the lens of his Christian faith. Follow his Creation Blog, Groundling (groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca) and Mini Me blog (aka Twitter) @lionlambstp

Sunday, May 21, 2017

God vs Mammon?

A downtown church is suing the Eaton Centre and not surprisingly this recently announced legal action is in the news. The Anglican Diocese and the Church of the Holy Trinity is taking the cathedral of retail to court over structural damage the congregation says is caused by delivery trucks rumbling through two tunnels beneath their structure. Holy Trinity decided to stay put decades ago as properties where purchased all around them for the Eaton Centre. The Eaton Centre has been cautioned about the effects of the underground truck traffic in the past, and now the church wants the owners to pick up the tab for the $2,000,000 in repairs.The congregation has maintained a strong social justice ministry for more than a century and chose to continue its ministries in that location rather than "take the money and run." In years past the neighbourhood around the church was a slum occupied by struggling Irish immigrants. The church built public housing and in recent years has sponsored more than a hundred refugees. The congregation has a ministry to the homeless and maintains a homeless memorial, to remember the names of those who have died on the streets in Canada. Here is their logo and how they describe their ministries:

loving justice in the heart of the city

"The Church of the Holy Trinity is a community of people who seek to express Christian faith through lives of integrity, justice and compassion. We foster lay leadership, include the doubter and the marginalized, and challenge oppression wherever it may be found."

I'm impressed, and Timothy Eaton might have been as well. The founder of the Eaton's stores was an Irish immigrant himself, and one of his gifts to the city is now a United Church, Timothy Eaton Memorial.

I hope this feisty little oasis of God's grace wins out over the cathedral of Mammon.